KARACHI: Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Mustafa Kamal said on Thursday that his party would not allow the Sindh government to function until it resolved the chronic civic problems of water supply, sanitation, etc, and gave the people their due rights.

Mr Kamal said this at a news conference held at the Karachi Press Club to launch a protest drive against the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government for what he called its incompetent, corrupt, undemocratic and biased governance that deprived the people of Sindh of basic civic facilities.

Outside the club, a large number of PSP workers and supporters staged a sit-in as part of the protest drive. After the press conference, Mr Kamal and other leaders, including party president Anis Kaimkhani, joined the sit-in, which continued till late into the night.

Mr Kamal equally criticised the PPP-led Sindh government, his own former party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, its London-based founder Altaf Hussain, MQM-Pakistan head Dr Farooq Sattar and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar and held them responsible for the problems the people of Karachi are facing.

PSP workers stage a sit-in as part of protest drive

He said the PSP was protesting for the provision of clean drinking water, garbage lifting, education and cheap electricity. “We are not here to topple the government, but no government can function without resolving its people’s problems.”

He said the protest drive would continue indefinitely in phases.

The former Karachi mayor said that in 41 per cent of Karachi there was no water supply system. “Fifty per cent of the Sindh population is in Karachi but the city is getting only 1.5pc of Sindh’s water. The rulers have blocked Karachi’s water supply.”

He demanded that the provincial government launch on Friday water infrastructure work so that every household could get water through pipelines.

Mr Kamal lashed out at the PPP government for taking over the building control authority and solid waste management. He said that a “corrupt man” was appointed head of the Sindh Building Control Authority who only minted money and destroyed the city infrastructure.

He demanded that the PPP government immediately hand over the building control authority, water board, master plan department, the Karachi Development Authority, all city roads, hospitals, parks and other city projects to the office of the Karachi mayor.

He also questioned under what law the provincial government was handing over an iconic park of Karachi — Bagh Ibne Qasim — to a private firm.

He also accused the Karachi mayor of receiving kickbacks.

Mr Kamal demanded that all resources be transferred to mayors, deputy mayors, districts and union council/committee chairmen across Sindh so that they could serve the people.

However, he made it clear that he would praise the Sindh government if it worked for the betterment of the people.

On Jan 29, while speaking at a public meeting on M.A. Jinnah Road near Tibet Centre, Mr Kamal had warned the provincial government to resolve the civic problems or he would launch a protest campaign after a month.

However, the protest drive was delayed because of the fragile law and order situation. At a workers’ convention in Nishtar Park on March 23 he announced that his party would take to the streets beginning on April 6.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2017